NAHBS 2010 Richmond Virigina

Don Walker, organizer of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, announced the selection of the Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, VA for the location of NAHBS 2010. The show will take place February 26 – 28, 2010. Richmond is the state capital of Virginia.

Champe Burnley, president of the Richmond Area Bicycling Association, is a big fan of custom bikes and is thrilled that the show is coming to his area for two years. Although Richmond doesn’t get the attention received by cities like Portland, OR; Davis, CA; or Boulder, CO, Burnley says Richmond has a strong cycling culture with a reasonable climate for bicycling for most of the year. Burnley also notes the large number of cyclists with a public university and three private universities along with two community colleges in the region.

Because two major bike touring routes intersect in Richmond, Burnley says his city has a constant stream of touring cyclists coming through on their loaded bikes. US Bicycle Route 1 runs the length of the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, while U.S. Bicycle Route 76 — Adventure Cycling’s Transamerica Trail — passes nearby.

According to Burnley, weather in Richmond at the end of February is variable. It can be either gorgeous for riding bikes, or it might be perfect for staying indoors at a convention center.

Richmond — located 110 miles from Washington, DC; a nice road trip away from New York City and 400 miles from Greenville, SC — is within a day’s drive of half of the US population. Amtrak’s Northeast Regional train passes through Richmond’s Main Street train station with several trains from Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington. The Carolinian / Piedmont train with service to and from Charlotte, DC and New York stops at Richmond’s Staple Mills Road Station. Amtrak Silver Service Palmetto services Richmond Staple Mills Road from Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, Charleston, DC and New York City.

Hopefully the event will be a boost for the cycling culture there! My friend Clyde lived in Richmond and moved to Easley (very near Greenville). He puts in 10,000+ miles annually on his assorted cycles. I'm sure that's why Greenville was noted.

I live in Greenville. It's certainly a small town to call out with NY and DC, but it is a very nice place to live and ride. That is why George Hincapie makes his home here too….and I can't wait for NAHBS next year. It will definitely be worth the trip up to Richmond.